When news of a Nigerian Police Chief, Abba Kyari, colluding with celebrity fraudster Ramon Abbas (better known as Ray Hushpuppi) to defraud a Qatari businessperson of $1 million, hit the internet, one of Kyari's rebuttals was that he had only helped Hushpuppi deliver clothes.
"Later, he (Hushpuppi) saw some of my native clothes and caps on my social media page and he said he likes them and he was connected to the person selling the clothes and he sent about N300k directly to the person’s account," Kyari said.
"The native clothes and caps (5 sets) were brought to our office and he sent somebody to collect them in our office.
"Nobody demanded any money from Abbas Hushpuppi and nobody collected any money from him," Kyari offered.
He really shouldn't have said anything.
It is bad enough that Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and Commander of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has been accused of arresting another fraudster just to please Hushpuppi.
To realise that Kyari also ran errands for Hushpuppi--during a period when Hushpuppi's source of wealth and income was being questioned publicly--is rubbing more salt into the wounds.
The U.S indictment of Kyari, a highly ranked police officer in Nigeria, and the warrant of arrest now dangling over his head for alleged collusion with a fraudster who could spend 20 years in jail, is enough grounds for the police command in Nigeria to ask Kyari to submit his badge and all police property in his possession without further delay.
The police boss' response that he has ordered an internal review of the allegations against Kyari, is diversionary, untenable and smells like yet another grand cover-up attempt, in a country where the corrupt and the clueless call the shots.
Kyari should have been stripped of his police powers the moment he was indicted and the moment an arrest warrant was issued on him by the U.S Attorney's office in California and the FBI.
The police in Nigeria received Kyari's arrest warrant in April. Why was he still left on the job?
A police officer with an arrest warrant dangling over his head, has no business arresting kidnappers or anyone else in Nigeria.
The average Nigerian police officer is explicitly corrupt. That Kyari is in bed with fraudsters didn't come as a surprise to anyone. For a man who led the infamous Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) at one point and whose modus operandi has been called into question in the past, we really should have seen this coming.
However, once a police officer is publicly disgraced in the manner Kyari has, he should walk.
The most embarrassing part for me is that a highly decorated police officer in Nigeria and one who was recently honoured by the national assembly, was sharing photos of his office and awards with Hushpuppi as though they were madly in love with each other or dating. How many more fraudsters or kidnappers is Kyari hobnobbing with in this manner?
How many more is he showing plenty of flesh and torso?
How many more persons of questionable, obscene wealth is Kyari in bed with? Why should a man with this much baggage continue to prance the land as a law enforcement officer?
When a so called 'super cop' is shown to be no more than a fashion police or designer, he really should be put out of his misery by sacking him without delay, just so he can continue with his other passions.
Afterwards, Kyari should be extradited to the United States to defend himself.
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*Pulse Editor's Opinion is the viewpoint of an Editor at Pulse. It does not represent the opinion of the Organisation Pulse.